Overseas Adventures by Amy

Location: Paris Weather: Sunny but at times overcast, 24 °C It is such a relief to be in a cooler climate. After arriving at our hotel on Friday evening we went for a walk through the Latin Quarter/ Saint Germain des Pres and had a lovely dinner at a Café. We sat outside but were glad to be cold as it made a nice change from the heat and humidity of Greece. Dinner was a very nice; French Onion Soup followed by Four Cheese Salad. No bread - too difficult! Cheese Salad may be my staple food for France like Greek Salad was for Greece. Anyway we were sitting at this Café having our dinner when the Police came by and shut down Boulevard St Germain des Pres to cars, shortly afterwards a whole heap of ... read more

Location: Aghios Nikolaos and Knossos Weather: Sunny, 27 °C Last tender trip into town for the cruise, it is nice to arrive in port by a boat rather than just walking down a gang way - adds some excitement to the process. Aghios Nikolaos is a pretty port town, the shops circle the port and boy did I do some shopping! All throughout the cruise I have looked at the jewellery in the various ports visited - I have wanted to buy something but have not seen the right something. Well in Aghios Nikolaos I saw two items that I loved and had to have - a beautiful coral evil eye bracelet and Minoan Bee earrings. The day would have not have been complete without an organised tour - in the morning I visited the Palace ... read more

Location: Dubrovnik Weather: Sunny, 33 °C Kathy and I both went on a tour in Dubrovnik - I gave her a break from doing the washing! The medieval city of Dubrovnik was beautiful. However in the heat the glare from the limestone roads was very bright and added to the extreme heat. I have to admit that I am getting tired of the heat - it is exhausting walking around and listening when it is too hot. An interesting fact about Dubrovnik - it was never conquered in its many centuries of existence, every time it looked like war might be approaching the Council of Dubrovnik simply brought off the prospective invaders. Dubrovnik was rich because it was a maritime and trading power. They paid ransom and then got it back in trade! No wars ever ... read more

Location: Katakolon and Olympia Weather: Sunny, 34 °C I have a true appreciation of how students feel about listening and work when it is hot! Today I travelled to Olympia - site of the original Olympic games but while the guide was explaining things all I was trying to do was find some shade. It was a bit like the episode of the Simpsons told from the dog’s perspective, every time the humans spoke the dog heard random sounds - I was listening but not listening. The Museum at Olympia was good, the air conditioning made it so. Some of the artefacts collected from the Olympia site were very beautiful. The funniest statute was from the Roman period - often Roman statues have separate heads - this is because the Emperor could change so frequently that ... read more

Location: Rhodes Weather: Sunny, 30°C Rhodes was stunning and I have decided that I must come back here again for a longer period of time. Rhodes town was a change of pace as the tour I selected focused on the medieval aspects of the city rather than the ancient. The first stop was the panoramic view from Filerimos. Rhodes was a significant stop for the Christian Knights during the crusades. The monastery at the top of Filerimos has some beautiful icons of Mary. The tour then walked through the medieval aspects of Rhodes - many of the streets and buildings are the same as they were in medieval times. The Palace of the Knights of St John was rebuilt by the Italians in the 1930/40s after it burnt down, the exterior remains unchanged from medieval times ... read more